Derwent Inktense Tips for Beginners + Real Time Demo 

Hey all! I talk a bit about lightfast ratings in this video and how I usually go by the Colored Pencil Society of America ratings to sort my pencils and blocks. I meant to mention that if you are not a member of CPSA Derwent has tested them (dry) for lightfastness and they do have those ratings listed on their website. I have that information linked in the description if you would like to see! Again, it is relative because they have not been tested wet, but they do have ratings available.

This is an excellent presentation, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it! You are clear and detailed and organized, and I’m sure it took a lot of work to prepare this for us. I am not physically able to get out to take classes, so you are providing an incredible resource. Also, I took a look at your artwork, which is quite good. And that little leaf project is beautiful.Thank you and blessings to you!

I loved this. I am a beginner and was lost . You showed me they are not difficult and you can just play around with. Them. I am now more relaxed and loving them. Thank you so much🥰

Yay, Inktense!! One of my favorite mediums! I always have off-cuts of sanded paper around, and they make excellent palettes for mixing colors. And because the paper is non-absorbent, the colors will reactivate with a wet brush and can be transferred to your artwork.

Just bought the 72 box set of Inktense pencils, and love these techniques. Starting a project around my area where I give away free art: little drawings made with Inktense, scattered around.

Of all the Inktense tutorials I've watched, this is by far the most helpful. Thanks so much

Wow.....Inktense really ARE intense........The strongest vibrancy I've seen in a pencil

I have been trying to decide on a coloured pencil set to use with my watercolour art. Your video has inspired me to order the 72 pencil box of Derwent Inktense, thank you!

This is a really helpful demonstration. Lots of useful tips and ideas. Great for beginners. It has made me really excited to use my new set of 12 Inktense pencils.

Excellent tutorial! Thank you for taking time to share your experience with Inktense!

Love this informative tutorial. Thank you!

Thanks for such a clear video explaining this medium. I bought myself a set of 12 pencils for mixed media. I love how vibrant they are.

Excellent instructional video for beginners. Thank you!

Excellent video, I’ll watch it again when I try my leaf. Thank you

Wonderful presentation. I learned about these pencils finally!

Love the waves!

This information was really good and I appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

This tutorial is very informative and very valuable for me seeking pencil tutorials. I’m extremely grateful for your knowledge and your kindness. LOVE 💕 it and many thanks.

Well done! Very informative. Thank you.

Good morning and thank you so much, so far the best video I could find with regards to Inktense pencils and blocks - really appreciated your detailed explanations - have a nice day 😊

I have just found your tutorial, and have learned so much, thank you x

Really useful, thank you! I have just purchased pencils and a pan set in the Inktense range. I’m now excited to try putting the two together.

Awesome video! So helpful! Thank you!!

Thank you this was very helpful. I just got a set of 24 of the blocks. 💖

Hele goede uitleg, hartelijk dank. Was van plan mijn houten kist met 72 Derwent Inktense voor twedehands te verkopen omdat ik er weinig ervaring mee hebt. Maar met deze video ben ik veel waardevolle informatie te weet gekomen en vind het geweldig, dank je wel.

Thank you so much for this incredible demonstration and fantastic info! I’m a beginner and it gave me lots of ideas how to use them!

Excellent demo. I didn’t know a thing about inktense. How fun!

Excellent, new to this and didn't know whether to buy pencils or blocks. Really helps. Thanks!

Thank you sooooo much for this video. I'm getting the Inktenee pencils soon and these tips are really helpful. You also very nicely demonstrated how art is largely illusion and that is extremely helpful. I never imagined I could make water look realistic, but after watching this video, I feel pretty confident that I can now! Thank you so much! I'm saving this video for future reference and sharing it!

That caran dache textured pallet is an absolute godsend, thank you for the recommendation! Never heard of anything like it

Whoa! This is going to take my travel journal to new heights. Thanks. Inktense has been my go to for travel journaling. You can down and dirty a fast action sketch (horses being saddled before a race or sneaking a sketch of a diner two tables away), and sketching in a high traffic area (tourist spots and train stations) and finish the painting later that day (or week). Or you can find a quiet subject in a quiet corner (our local golf course) and go full blown painting.

Great video. Really appreciiate the details you have provided. Just bought the pencils and a small pan set. I also own Derwent watercolor pencils, however the inktense are so vibrant.

What a great video! Thank you!🙂

Thank you. You did good. 😍

Thank you for an informative and helpful video.

Loved the lesson thanks

Very helpful, thank you!

I was about to rerun my pencils. Until I found your video!!! Thanks so much for sharing. I think I like most that you can use a palette and then transfer the color. Such an amazing idea 💡 Thanks again!

Thank you for you teaching I will have you get my out they have been sitting in the cuberd that was very helpful take care

Thank you so so much. This is a big help

Inspired me to get mine out and make some art!

Very informative video i have both also the pencils im goingvyo take out urban sketching..i liked how you you used the oencil and brush to splatter ...

Love this! Oftentimes the ocean water is almost white at the horizon depending on circumstances. All of this is relative and if you add clouds, sun, or haze (smog), anything can happen. I've lived at Oregon coast for 15 years and have seen ocean water look darker at the horizon. its a simple explanation. The deeper the water gets the darker it can look when you are looking out at it. The deepest parts of the water can look darker depending on the time of day, suns position and so many other atmospheric conditions. Especially on a really cloudy day here. I'm on the West coast and the oceans horizon looks darker earlier in the day because the sun in behind you and the deeper the water is the darker the value. As the sun moves over top and starts to go down the sun reelects more light at the waters horizon making it lighter.

Hello. Thank you, very informative. Like some others, I’m a bit intimidated by inktense for some reason. Subbed. 👍🏼

Thank you

New sub! Love ur channel! Total beginner here.

That’s a really great demo of the product. I wondered if you’d had a chance to try them out on fabric?

what a great tutorial, i'm having the 72, but after trying some things I could not make it work because i didn't understand it, thank you very much for explaining

Just an FYI, since this nasty rumor got started awhile ago on here, about the Derwent Inktense pencils being " Ink based " or " made of dried inks " or anything " ink at all ". Ready for this? Derwent Inktense ARE NOT made with ink, dried ink... or ANY ink at all! They are infact a watercolor pencil, made from the same pigments that Derwent makes ALL of their supplies with. Straight from Derwents website, click on the Inktense section and read. It states, Derwent has revolutionized its watercolor pencils with a unique binder, that allows them to flow LIKE ink, and gives them " ink-LIKE " consistency. And in the FAQ section at the bottom of the Inktense page, someone flat-out asks " are the Inktense pencils made with dried inks? Derwents answer: NO, Inktense does not contain any ink, nor is it made with any ink at all. We formulated a very unique binder for the pigments, that allows for more vibrancy like ink, and flow like ink... hence the " INK-Like " label. They also say that they are technically just a watercolor pencil, with a unique binder. This can all be found on Derwents website, for those of you hissing at me in disbelief lol 😆 Ohhh and another bad rumor, linked to the ink rumor.... " they aren't lightfast, because they are made with ink " that is also incorrect!!! They are actually lightfast, just like every other pencil set Derwent makes. Some colors less than others, just like most sets of colored pencils and watercolor pencils. So there ya go, hope this clears up this bad misleading " ink " rumor. BTW, Iam not commenting this as anything negative towards you at all, I just want to stop this bad rumor from making it another year on YT lol. Have a great day 😀

Instead of paying good money for a plastic pallet, I use a cheap flexible clear cutting board from the dollar store, rough it up with sandpaper and use that as my pallet.

I just received the 72 pencil set today. I have the 24 set and I am going to start an ambition portrait on 22 x 28 watercolor paper tonight or tomorrow. Can't wait ☺️!

This was a great help!! Thank you so much!! When you did the leaf, you were adding each layer to wet ? Is that correct?

Thank you, this was very helpful! I’m thinking of getting a larger set of the Inktense pencils. I bought a pack of 6 to try them out for Inktober, which is enough for illustration purposes. Great to see how they can be used for more realistic art styles - and the difference to watercolour pencils. Would you recommend buying the largest set? I assume the smaller sets don’t include enough pale or earthy colours.

Thank you for this video! Just purchased a set of inktense pencils! So excited, loved the video. New subbie here, would love to be crafty RU-vid friends!

Good teaching, thanks And if you also have Teaching on Neocolor 2, I'm interested

Great instructional video. I have been drawing with graphite pencils for a few years but stepping into color scares me. I have a small and the full set of Inktense that I haven't touched yet. How do you know how to pick out all the colors you are going to use on something so complex as something like a dead leaf?

Why not just keep the red, because magenta has red in it along with other colors right? I'm by no means a professional artist and am really enjoying this video and appreciate you sharing with us. I guess I don't get why so many are so serious about the lightfast. I mean I do actually get it and understand artists wanting to be as professional as possible as well as saving the integrity of art and am not trying to sound naive, but other than the fact that they have special glass now for protection against the sun, I always think about how long a picture lasts. I remember my dad putting up some new art he bought years ago, and he was worried about the sun shining on them at some point of the day and told me how the sun bleaches out the colors over time. I thought it seemed silly because he has always been very careful about furniture, using coasters, and you know, just basic things that people like to care about, especially as you get older. I wish I cared more honestly, but I don't worry if something is going to fade in 200 years or so lol. Sorry that was looooong lol, but really Thank you for the wonderful video!

I’m using these with acrylic paint on Bristol vellum for details and extra mark making. I expected these to dry like waterproof ink but find that they smear terribly when supposedly dry, even overnight, when I add any liquid, like water, paint or medium. Any advice or experience with this happening?

I have the 72 set of pencils and never use them. I’ve been kind of kicking myself ever since for not getting the blocks instead. The problem is semi-solved now that Derwent came out with the 24 pan set but I’ve yet to get them. I also have the 60 set of Albrecht Dürer and never use them either. ☹️ Edited to add: what I want them for now is to do underpaintings for watercolor but when I got the pencils 5 years ago (when I started my art journey) they were for using in adult coloring books. I didn’t much like them then either.

Hi I love your video. Can you tell me please what brush you are using in this video no6?? What is the brand please?

Great and useful video, thanks. I love inktense. What about quantity of water and the brush? Do you dry the brush with kitchen paper or what before use? What brush did you use? Thanks in advance

Which sharpener do you use for the Inktense? I found the pencils very hard in dry use. My hands got very fast really tired. The blocks look amazing for backgrounds! Maybe a silly question, but are there some kind of cases you can put around one block? To prevent smudging, I mean. You got a lot of blue on your hands. Can you just wash it off with soap?

Have you ever used your regular watercolor pencils with your intense when you do a project? Can you combine them?

i prefer it for fabric ^_^

Question: I am still searching for a sharpener for the Inktense pencils. Google was not helpful. Any suggestions?

What happens or can you, put white intense on top of a color or colored pencil on top of intense? I was watching this video and was thinking about the highlights on the waves. Would you just erase to get the white paper to show through?

Question: Would you say I can mix a useful variety of colours from say 32 pencils, or would you advise purchasing a larger selection of colours? Thanks in advance.

The blocks are for larger drawings like landscapes, the pencils are for details and smaller drawings

How would these work for drawing an image on paper and then using the drawing as a transfer onto fabric?

Question: Does the Faber Castell eraser damage watercolor paper? Or mixed media paper? It sounds a little harsh.

What pencil sharpener do you recommend?

How do you sharpen?

I don’t see a list of the art supplies you referred to in the video.

Your info is great but your examples are too small and impossible to clearly see what you are talking about

Thank you

Thank you